The Town of Battleford has decided to extend its funding agreement with Destination Battlefords through 2022.
The decision of council was to go with a two year extension running at the same cost as before at around $48,000 annually. A shorter extension was considered, but the idea behind the two year extension is to give Destination Battlefords enough time to rebuild.
Last year, the town agreed to a one-year renewal of their agreement with Destination Battlefords, with various targets to be met.
As Councillor Judy Pruden explained, the pandemic happened and things changed, with layoffs at Destination Battlefords and the tourism industry “bottoming out.”
According to Pruden, the extension would give Destination Battlefords time to pursue their plans for reopening. It would also be in line with the organization’s agreements with other partners.
One of the strategies Destination Battlefords is looking at, Pruden said, is the “Battlefords Nice” campaign, which is in line with the “Saskatchewan Nice” and “Canada Nice” efforts. Destination Battlefords is also looking at plans to produce an audio walking tour of the buildings in historic Battleford.
Council has agreed unanimously to the two-year agreement.
